Everlong
by creativebane
Summary: Lily enters her seventh year with plenty to worry about–her studies, future, and then pesky James Potter. What she doesn’t realize is that the year ahead holds many more important things to contemplate. Join her as she finds love, betrayal, and adventure.
1. Anxiety

Title: Everlong  
Song: "And I wonder / If everything could ever feel this real forever/ If anything could ever be this good again/ The only thing I'll ever ask of you / You've gotta promise not to stop when I say when." - Foo Fighters, Everlong  
Author's Note: This story was previously called Stiletto; I put it up several months ago and never updated it… I now have my own laptop and therefore, the ability to write whenever or wherever I want so I can finally return to my beloved fanfic writing : ). Anyway about the story, the new title is from the song 'Everlong' by The Foo Fighters (download the acoustic version, if you can - you'll fall in love with it, I guarantee it) - every chapter title is derived from a song that will set the mood of some part of the chapter. It will eventually form a soundtrack for the entire story - or at least, that's the idea. Enjoy!  
Disclaimer: Neh, I don't own nada up in here. Just don't steal my plot. Although it's not all that original, so I suppose you can steal it if you really really want to. But I'd prefer it if you didn't :P

**Chapter One - "Anxiety" by Goldfinger**  
_"Feel it all and know it's not your time,  
Feel it all and know that this will pass."_

"Oh in the name of Merlin!"

It was early. No - it was incredibly early... Four-o-clock in the _morning _early. The moon was just barely cresting the hills and the sun had yet to even be seen - no one in their right mind would have willingly chosen to get up at such a preposterous time... Not when they could still be cozy and comfy in their beds!

"I can't believe I let this happen! I've overslept! Again! Twice in the same week!" And it would appear that Miss Lily Evans most certainly was _not_ in her right mind.

The short and feisty red-head threw back the covers of her bed and stared at the alarm clock that sat beside her. "You dratted piece of technology..." She hissed, feeling quite tempted topoundit with her fist- or better yet, hex it with her wand... "No wonder the wizarding world has steered clear of electricity... It never works!" Exasperated and absolutely steaming with anger, the young witch refrained from destroying her mother's antique alarm clock and grabbed her robe, storming crossly out of the room.

Lily was angry. Lily was more than angry - for lack of betters words, she was royally pissed off. Her schedule was now completely off course - she had planned the day nearly minute-for-minute and now? Lily sighed exasperatedly; she wasn't exactly sure what she would do… At this point, she was supposed to be packed for school. Lily had anticipated that it would take approximately an hour to pack - she was supposed to have woken up at 3 to get ready. But now, she had lost an hour - Lily had lost an hour of precious packing time... Her schedule was bound to be ruined all because of a useless, dumb and defective muggle alarm clock...

Stupid technology...

Lily glowered at the floor and continued onwards, paying no attention to the muffled sounds that seemed to be blooming from her sister's room – from the sounds of it, she was awake. That wasn't good. Petunia was bound to be annoyed with her younger sister... But, then again, what else was new? Petunia was always annoyed with Lily. She would come downstairs, throw a hissy fit and then go to sulk in her room. Petunia was a rather predictable person – never very spontaneous. That was one of the reasons Lily had come to dislike her so much. Well, that and the fact that she had proclaimed Lily to be a disgrace to the entire Evans family and had sworn that the instant she moved out of the house she would never speak to her ever again... But that was entirely beside the point.

An angry huff passed Lily's lips and she stared at the mess that lay on the living room floor. Her green eyes narrowed... An entire hour, lost! Forever! She still couldn't get over it - which was understandable, considering her current state of mind. Over the past couple days Lily had been battling with the concept of time; more or less having a midlife crisis... At the beginning of her life. She was entering her seventh and final year at Hogwarts and simply was not ready to accept that there were only ten months left until she would be out on her own in the wizarding world. In fact, it almost made her want to throw up... Yep, that's right - Lily Evans, proud member of Gryffindor was scared. Even that was an understatement – Lily Evans was petrified. The normally strong young woman had been reduced to nervous tears and childish fits of panic... It had been a sad day when she realized that her parents – who had been there with her for every step of the way – would be unable to support her in this new life... A sad day indeed!

An ominous shiver ran down Lily's back as she remembered this fact once more - but faster than a snidget can get away from a wizard-on-a-broomstick, she shrugged it off. Breaking down into a fit of fretful tears was the last thing she needed to do now - it could come after packing, saying goodbye to her parents, tidying her room, and going to Diagon Alley. Only then would she allow herself such a ridiculous show of emotion.

But for the time being there was packing to be done...

"LILY MARGARET-SUSAN EVANS!"

Or perhaps not.

"Bloody hell..." Lily closed her eyes and stepped away from the pile of Hogwarts supplies that lay before her. "Would you save your lecture for later Petunia? I am trying to pack--"

"And I was trying to SLEEP!" Lily's sister came stomping down the steps, her dark brown eyes wild with malice as she spotted her sister's frazzled figure. "Ever hear of that? Sleep? It's what normal people do from about ten-o-clock at night to nine-o-clock in the morning... Or do you and your dratted friends not do that either?" She shouted sarcastically as she placed her hands on her hips and stepped out into the light, awaiting her sister's response.

Lily turned to face Petunia, a grimace displayed across her face as she reluctantly placed her packing duties on hiatus. She bit her lip, but remained silent, watching her sister pensively and hoping that she would just disappear into thin air. Oh... That would have been very nice.

The thing about Lily and Petunia was that they couldn't have looked or acted less like sisters if they tried. For one, Lily – like her mother – had bright, flaming crimson hair... But Petunia? Her hair was similar to that of their father's - dark, thick, and, in Lily's opinion, not at all becoming. The two had different figures, different eye-colors, different heights, different strides... They even had drastically different personalities. The two were complete opposites. Sometimes Petunia liked to pretend that Lily was adopted and they were in no way related, explaining that 'A girl can always dream.' Despite the attempts of their parents to repair the broken ends of their kinship, it was no use. As long as Lily was witch, Petunia was bound to hate her.

"Petunia," The red-head began hastily, placing her hands on her hips to mirror her older sister's cynical stance. "I really couldn't care less about your sleeping habits – I need to pack. I don't think you really understand the desperation of this matter. I'm supposed to be at Diagon Alley in--" Lily stopped herself, spotting a distinct lack of care in the other girl's expression. It made her blood want to boil... Ugh... Petunia was such a prat... "Look at it this way – the sooner I pack, the sooner I'm gone. Got it?"

This seemed to sway Petunia's mood a little. A subtle smirk crept to her lips but she said nothing and simply stood there for a minute, watching her sister, knowing that by just being there, she would be wasting time... Petunia was quite aware of her sister's obsession with time... She was very aware... The smirk grew and she crossed her arms in front of her chest, eyeing Lily's growing discomfort with amusement... Oh how she loved to torture her sister –and this was probably the last time she'd have the opportunity to do it until, well, who knows when! Not that she thought this was a bad thing but... Oh this was just priceless...

"Oh come on Petunia!" Lily finally snapped, her green eyes flashing dangerously and fingers twitching - they were searching for the familiar wood of her wand. "Would you just leave me alone?"

The dark-haired sister thought for a final moment before shrugging her shoulders indifferently. "Fine. But only because I really cannot stand to have you in this household any longer." She added loftily before turning around and strolling rather hastily up the steps.  
When she finally disappeared from view, Lily let out a sigh of relief. Ding, dong the muggle is dead... Which old muggle? The wicked muggle! Ding, dong the wicked muggle is dead... She hummed the playful tune and grinned for the first time in days. Finally. She could pack.

----------

"Mom, dad? I'm really going to miss you this year – I promise I'll write extra and then visit you over the summer... Or maybe over Christmas! But no matter what, I'll write and tell you about everything that's going on..." Lily peered into the front seat of the car, eyeing her parents fretfully. "I mean but you'll write back, yes? You remember how to use an owl – it's really easy! All you do is tie the letter to their left foot – it's simple! Really, if you want me to show-"

"Sweetheart, we'll write you. Don't worry." The voice of Lily's mother, Rosemary Evans, came from the front seat, a comforting sound to Lily's anxious ears. "You'll be fine – just enjoy your final year at school – and don't worry so much! Just enjoy yourself. I still remember my last year at school… That's when I met your father." Rosemary smiled gently at her husband, watching the rather stern-looking man fondly. He simply cleared his throat.

Lily watched her mother gently rest a hand on her father's shoulder – there seemed to be an understanding between the two of them... An understanding that Lily wished she could have with someone. She sighed to herself, remembering all of her own past relationships – they were all flops. Complete flops. She couldn't quite understand what was wrong with her – Lily liked boys, she liked being intimate with boys, she liked having an emotional connection with boys but… She just couldn't find someone who seemed to keep her interested. No Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor had been able to capture her interest for any extended period of time. Her feelings were always overwhelmed by responsibility and school work. She just couldn't do it. Even Petunia, who in Lily's eyes was the most undesirable woman in the world, had managed to find herself an equally dreadful boyfriend. Lily had always been a bit a hopeless romantic – she rather fancied the idea of soul mates and true love and the perfect kiss...

"Lily, sweetheart, we're almost there – do you have your money and everything you'll need to check into the Leaky Cauldron?" Her mother turned around as Lily looked up, parting herself from her thoughts. She stared at her mother, almost as if she hadn't understood what she had said – Lily's mind was just somewhere else...

"Leaky Cauldron?" She repeated the word and nodded, finally snapping herself out of the preoccupied state. "Yeah, I have everything mum... You two sure you can't come in with me for a little while? A store opened up last year that I think you'd like..." Lily trailed off as she saw her mother's face fall.

"We really can't, darling. You sister is waiting at home – we have to drive her to the University before three... But perhaps later in the year we'll stop off." She said meekly in a tone that clearly read regret. She was torn by the fact that her two daughters couldn't get along. It was no easy feat to have the only two months spent with her daughters be miserable and filled with fights... Lily hated it just as much as her mother did – but she would never give up being witch. Not for anything. As she often said, finding out she had magical powers was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Ever.

"That's alright mum." The red-head announced quickly after, not wanting to place any pressure on her parents. She leaned back in her seat and gazed out the window, watching muggle London pass her by.

"You know we would, if we could, Lily." Her father spoke for the first time in the entire car ride and though his voice carried his usual monotonous sound, she still knew he cared.

"Yes, I know daddy. It's alright – oh look, we're here!" Lily rushed the response, trying to avoid the awkward silence that would inevitably arise. She sniffed a little, trying not to get too emotional – it would be best if she just hurried. If she just said goodbye and then left, everything would be fine – everything would be fine. If it wasn't, she wasn't sure just what she would do.  
Getting out of the car, Lily grabbed her book-bag and assembled her cart, popping the trunk and hastily taking out her suitcases, being careful to place the cat carrier (which held her little white cat, Alan) on top. Remember, Lily told herself as she dropped a particularly large trunk on the ground, just say goodbye and then leave. The plan sounded simple – but she had a feeling that executing it would be on the difficult side.

Once she was done gathering all her suitcases, Lily stepped away from the car to face her parents. What she saw then, was almost enough to make her want to break down right then and there. Merlin. This was going to be difficult! Lily's mother was stood beside her father; they were holding each other's hands and smiling at Lily. They looked proud.

"Lily, dear, I can't tell you how pleased we are to see you here – all grown up... Entering your last year at school..." Her mother began, tone soft and caring. "When you were born, we of course knew you were going to be very special – how could you not? You were our happy little baby girl... A bundle of joy that we welcomed into our lives with open arms." The woman trembled for a moment, but Lily's father wrapped an arm around her shoulder and seemed to renew her strength. "But we never could have guess that you would turn out like... This. Lily, you've opened up this entirely new world for us – magic. You fought your way into it when you were 11 and here you are now, just barely 17 and a fully credentialed, very talented witch."

At this point, Lily's eyes began to well up with tears – she knew it had been hard for her parents to have a witch in the family. They had to lie to all their friends about where she was, put up with Petunia's stubborn antics, and immerse themselves in this entirely new world without even understanding it's existence. Lily smiled weakly in their direction, sniffing daintily and trying to suspend the tears but hearing her mother's words and seeing her father's face was just too much for a girl to bare...

"We're so proud of you. Lily, we want you to have this – it's a bit of a late birthday present... Or an early graduation present..." Lily's father reached into his pocket and drew out a long, velvet box. He stepped forward, giving it to his daughter, but never once letting go of his wife's hand. He stepped back as Lily took the box, clutching it in her fingers nervously.

The bleary-eyed girl opened the box slowly, peering in with an anxious expression on her face – what she found left her speechless. It was her grandmother's locket. Lily looked up at her parents in surprise, her face showing signs of confusion. She glanced down at the necklace once again, unable to draw her gaze away from it's presence for very long. As a child, Lily had been very close to her grandmother. She had spent countless afternoons in the elderly woman's flat, playing dress up with her old clothes, drinking tea from elegantly styled tea cups... She loved the woman. In fact, many years later, it had dawned on Lily that her grandmother might have been a witch – she had the sort of knowing smile that only someone who had seen the wonders of magic could hold... When the old woman died, Lily had been only eight years old – and she was heartbroken. She would spend hours staring at the locket, which her grandmother had worn at all times, hoping that it would somehow bring her back. Of course it never did and she soon abandoned the hope, forgetting about the locket and leaving it in her mother's care...

Until now.

Lily stared at the locket, using her finger to move it around the box. It was very beautiful. Lily remembered from her childhood, running her finger over the intricate design of flowers and vines on the front. She sniffled again, using her thumb and forefinger to carefully unlock the clasp. There was a tiny pop and it sprung open to reveal two pictures – one was her grandmother at the age of 19, looking very beautiful with her flaming red hair pulled close to her face in a stylish bob. The other was of her grandfather, dressed in a top-hat and tails with a wide and mischievous grin on his face. Her grandparents on their wedding night. Lily smiled fondly, running her pinky-finger over the edges. "I love it." She said feebly, closing the locket once more. "I love it so much – thank you mum, dad..."

As Lily moved forward to give her parents a hug, she felt a bit as if a small weight had just lifted off her shoulders – a bit of the apprehension about going away had dissipated... She pulled away, smiling at them. "I'll never take it off – ever." Lily carefully took it out of the box and put it around her neck, allowing the delicate heart-shaped locket to fall just above the top of her t-shirt. Lily gripped it between two fingers, curling a hair self-consciously around her ear. "Well, I suppose I should get going now..." Lily glanced at the entrance to The Leakey Cauldron, heart beating a little faster than it really should have. "I love you – and I'll write... Every week! I promise." She said, softly kissing her mother on the cheek and hugging her father one last time. "... Bye."

Lily bit her lip as she began to push her luggage cart towards the entrance of The Leaky Cauldron. Pausing, she stole one final look back at her parents (who were beginning to look a fair bit weepy at this point), the Gryffindor seventh year summoned all of her remaining emotional strength and marched through the door.

"Miss Evans!" Almost immediately Lily was greeted by the familiar scratchy voice of Tom, the innkeeper's son. "How delightful it is to see you again!" Lily turned to face the young man, a bright smile on her face – she was glad to see such a friendly face... Tom and herself had become good friends the previous summer when she had worked for his father as a waitress.

"Tomas! How has your summer been, good? That's excellent – listen, do you think you could get my room for me? I'd love to stay and chat but I really need a good rest... A little overwhelmed by leaving home and such." She explained, grasping his hand warmly in greeting – but she quickly let go when the young man's smile faded from his lips... Lily raised her eyebrows and stepped away, he cleared his throat and busied himself by cleaning a still half-full cup of whiskey.

"Ah... About your room, Lily dear, you know we're really very busy this time of year – what with students coming in for Hogwarts and our regular customers but... This year we're a little bit, well, full. You see, there's a Goobbstones Convention taking place in one of the Diagon Alley hobby shops and then in another store just down the road a whole bunch of Chocolate Frog Card Collectors are meeting – our rooms are packed! Who'd have thought we'd be having such a busy week, eh?" He chuckled dryly but quickly continued when he saw that Lily was un-amused. "We still have your room but..." Tom coughed.

"But what?"

"But.. uhh... We had to sort of group the Hogwarts students together. Father and I... We're going through a bit of a tough financial time right now, do you understand? We really couldn't turn people away – it's been a great season... We've made a load of money – enough to pull us out of our troubles – we've even been thinking about expanding to avoid situations like this for next year – we'll buy the place next door and--"

"My room, Tom?"

"Ah, yes, well... Not to worry about that, I saved a bed for you, Lily – you won't have to be sleeping on a cot of any sort. I made sure of that personally, and you'll only be sharing a room with four other people... And it's one of the larger rooms we have – and... And Madison Waite, that girl friend of yours, is in the room as well!" He added quickly when he saw her face flush. "I'm really, really sorry... Pops and I – we had no choice..." He trailed off, edging quietly away from Lily who looked as if she was ready to explode.

"No Tom, that's quite alright... I'll only be here for a couple days, I'll be fine. Really, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure Lily? That's wonderful – I was so certain that would were going to lose your temper on me! No offence, dear, but you remember how grumpy you were last year – I've almost come to..." Tom cut himself short, realizing that he was pressing his luck a little too far. "Well, uhhh, anyway here's your key. I really ought to get back to work. You're on the second floor, room 28 – sharing it with two friendly blokes in their seventh year, some young Hufflepuff doll and of course that friend of yours; Madison was it? We'll have to meet later, ya?" But Tom didn't wait around for a response. As soon as Lily took her key, he was off tending to a group of geeky-looking customers who were all wearing the exactly same 'Gobbstones' t-shirt. Lily stared at the young man for a moment in disbelief, still not quite comprehending that she would actually have to share a bedroom with four other people for the next two days.

So far, Lily's day had been cutting it painfully close to being classified as 'bad.' Her late start had seemed to set the trend for her mood and the fact that she no longer had a silent room to retreat to didn't exactly help. It was just icing on her big, rotten cake – most probably sugar-free frosting too... Eugh! On the bright side, though, the girl who Tom had mentioned – Madison Waite – was one of Lily's closest friends. At least she would be sharing the room with someone she knew and trusted.

Sighing wistfully, Lily marched her way up the stairs, using a clever levitation spell to carry her luggage up with her. When she finally arrived on the second floor after being stopped by a ragged old wizard who was burping up blue bubbles, the red-headed girl was officially ready to lie down and go to sleep – she could save all her shopping for the following day and everything else could just… Just wait! All she wanted right now was some good dreams and restful sleep – was that too much to ask for!

Well, apparently it was.

"Room number 28." Lily read out loud as she approached the appropriate door. "At last..." With a expression of relief dawning on her face, she fumbled with the key in her pocket before drawing it out and sticking it in the lock. Taking a deep breath, she turned the key and pushed open the door – finally! Lily would be able to rest!

----------

The room, when Lily arrived, was in a state of terrible disarray. There were clothes thrown everywhere, books lying around, various cots scattered about the floor – Lily was even surprised to find an empty liquor bottle and some half-used joints lying underneath one of the desks. Everything was filthy. It was clear that her roommates were complete and total slobs. Wonderful. Madison would undoubtedly be happy – she was pretty much the opposite of Lily when it came to most things and hygiene happened to be one of them. Their dormitory at Hogwarts was often split into two halves – there was Madison's half, which she shared with two other girls, and then there was Lily's half which consisted of herself and a quiet girl named Natalie. Needless to say, Madison's half was usually covered in small bits of food, dirty clothes, and all sorts of things that made Lily want to cringe! This room was no better. It was clear that once she had rested, Lily would have plenty of cleaning up to do!

Shaking her head and picking her way through the mess, Lily dropped her baggage on the floor and brought her hands to her mouth. "Madison! Are you here?" There was no answer. "Madi? Anyone?" She heard a rustling from the bathroom, then a familiar masculine voice...

Oh crap.

"So," The voice began, in a lofty and arrogant tone. "Our fifth and final roommate has finally decided to join us?" The bathroom door swung open to reveal a tall youth with messy black hair and a toothbrush hanging from the corner of his mouth. He grinned. "Hello Evans. Welcome to room number 28."

Lily cringed – she didn't even have to see the boy to identify who it was. She knew that voice all too well – knew it and hated everything about it.

"**Potter**."


	2. Canary in a Coalmine

Title:Everlong  
Author's Note: Welcome to chapter two! Not the best chapter I've ever written - I feel like I rushed some key plot points… But I hope the arguments flowed nicely; they were particularly fun to write… Which worries me. Because when I enjoy writing something, that usually mean I left about half of it in my head and only got the bare minimum out on the paper (if that makes any sense…) Anyway; I hope you like. Read&review!  
Disclaimer: Anyone you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling. Madison is mine.

**Chapter Two – "Canary in a Coalmine" by The Police  
**"_First to fall over when the atmosphere is less than perfect,  
__Your sensibilities are shaken by the slightest defect  
__You live your life like a canary in a coalmine  
__You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line."_

"Oh, don't sound so pleased to see me Lily, people might actually think you like me." James drawled sarcastically, crossing his arms in front of his chest and surveying the red head with amusement.

"Potter." Lily said his name again, her tone absolutely dripping with disgust. "What do you think you're doing here? In my room? Why - on today of all days - do _you_ have to show up!" She snapped, tone growing frazzled.

"I suppose Tom didn't tell Miss Evans that she would have to share her room. Hmmm, I'll have to speak to him about--"

"You mean that you're one of the blokes he said I was sharing a room with?" Lily's jaw dropped and her heart began beating very quickly. This couldn't be happening. She hated James Potter. She had hated ever since their first year. He was arrogant, loud, cocky, and always on her case about something or other. In the early days, James had simply enjoyed bothering her by stealing her books and homework– but since their fifth year, he had been constantly dogging Lily to go out with him. Something she would, of course, never do as long as she was still sane... Or well, as long as he stuck to persecuting the Slytherins. In Lily's opinion, James' behavior towards the rivaling house was positively revolting. As a muggle-born witch, she didn't fully understand the rivalry between the Gryffindor and Slytherin houses... Not that it mattered, torturing someone for simply 'existing' was wrong no matter which way you looked at it. "There has got to be some sort of mistake – you see, I can't be staying with you..."

"And why is that?"

"Because I hate you."

"Ah, that _would _be a problem... You know, we could change that... How about we got on a date – we can get to know each other and then after, get to know each other a little bettttterrrr..."

Lily glared at James; he shut up. "I can't do this – there is no possible way that I can spend the even a single night sharing a room with you... Wait – no... Bloody hell; don't tell me... Sirius is here too."

James smiled, his hazel eyes lighting up as he took the toothbrush from his mouth. "How'd you know? Was it the mess? The bottle of rum under the desk? The general cloud of cologne that's floating around the room...?"

"Wherever James Potter goes, Sirius Black is sure to follow." Lily recited coldly, pulling her denim jacket closer to her body. She really didn't feel like putting up with James at the moment. She was tired, grumpy, and emotionally drained. This was no way to spend her first afternoon away from home.

"Now, I resent that statement – you know, Sirius is not my 'sheep'... We do have--"

"I couldn't care less, Potter." She cut him off sharply, throwing herself down onto a nearby chair and opening her cat carrier to reveal a still-sleeping cat. "Do you know where Madison is?" Lily asked, dimly aware that her tone was less-than-hostile.

James snorted. "Probably off shagging someone. Sirius, most likely." He shook his head, sitting down on the bed and throwing his shoes off. "You know, Lily, perhaps you should take a page from your friend's book – she knows how to have a good time..."

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean – and... wait... Sirius... and Madi?" Lily sat up quite suddenly, her back stiff as a board and expression both shocked and annoyed. Madison, as he said, was 'probably off shagging someone.' Lily's heart dropped. That sounded like Madison alright... She was always off with some boy having her 'fun' and 'sewing her wild oats.' She, unlike Lily, didn't care much for commitment and preferred to make out with boys instead of cuddling with them. In their fifth year, she had graduated from kissing to sex and ever since seemed to be obsessed with finding new conquests and breaking as many hearts as possible. Madison was a strange girl; sometimes Lily wondered how they got on so well... But whatever reason it was, Lily trusted Madison more than anyone she had ever met. They were best friends through thick and thin – and always would be until the day one of them died.

"It's supposed to mean that you, Lily Evans, are a stiff." James said simply. "And I think I could change that if you gave me a chance." He stated arrogantly, crossing his arms and leaning back. "See, the probably with you Lily, is that you've probably never even been drunk in your life--"

"Oh, and that's a problem?"

"Yes! It's a huge problem! Because when you don't get drunk, boys can't take advantage of you! And that's just no fun." James grinned, a dirty expression on his face. "Oh and yeah... Sirius and your friend, Waite, have been inseparable ever since last night. Snogging all the time... I swear it's disgusting – I heard them going at it and Merlin that girl is l--"

"I really don't need to know the details Potter." Lily blushed deeply, getting to her feet as her cat awoke. "Now, I'm going downstairs to speak with Tom about switching rooms seeing as there is no way that this could even possibly work."

"Oh come on Lily! Don't be such a spoil sport – I was only joking about getting drunk..."

"You think that's what this is about, Potter? Your stupid comment? Merlin and Morgaine, you're even thicker than I thought you were..."

"It's just two days until we go to Hogwarts. Two days! Take one for the team!" James threw himself in front of the door just before Lily was going to open it, looking at her in desperation. "Come on Evans..."

"And why are you so intent to keep me in this room with you?" Lily inquired cynically, crossing her arms and glowering in his direction.

"I'll have a better chance of getting in your pants."

"Alright, that's it – Potter! Out of the way!" James' smirk was just too much for Lily to stand. He seemed so damned confident that he would get her to 'let her guard down' and admit that she 'wanted him.' There was no way that she was going to play along with his sick fantasies... Lily would sleep in an alley if she had to – anything to get away from James. "Now."

"Evans! I was only kidding. Can't you take a joke, Lily?"

"Apparently not."

James sighed, grimacing at the fierce red-head that stood before him. Lily was overreacting, as usual. But could you really blame her? After all, it had been a long and trying day for her... "Just one kiss before you go?"

"Don't make me hex you, Potter!"

Finally, shaking his head in defeat, James Potter stepped aside, being sure to mess up his hair as he did so. He walked towards Lily's cat, who was now (finally) fully awake and glancing around in curiosity. He picked the little critter up and watched Lily triumphantly make a move to open the door – but right as her hand met the cold metal of the knob, the door swung open, hitting Lily squarely in the chin.

----------

"Lily! Oh Merlin – Lily... Sirius, quick, I think she's waking up. Get some ice for her, would you!"

Lily's eyes slowly fluttered open as a dull ache began to formulate across her jaw. She was vaguely aware of the fact that three seventeen year olds were hovering above her and that she was lying on flat on her back, against a hardwood floor. Why exactly she was lying there, Lily wasn't sure. The only thing she knew was that there were lingering feelings of anger in her mind and a terrible sharp pain leaking into her chin...

"Siriussss – ice?" Madison's impatient voice drifted to Lily's ears once more – usually, it would have been a welcoming sound, but at the moment it seemed to hammer itself into her scull like a nail. "Come on!" Lily groaned and she felt her friend's warm hand brush her cheek. "Baby, are you alright? I am so – sososososo – so sorry. I didn't know you were there I--"

"Shut up Madison." Lily cried out in a strained tone, trying to prop herself up on her elbows to get a better look at her current surroundings – but the instant she moved forward, her head began to spin and she found herself quickly falling back towards the floor... However, right before her head would have hit the floor; Lily felt a pair of strong hands slip behind her neck. "Thanks." She muttered.

"No problem." That was James – Lily had half the mind to protest his presence but found herself in much too much pain to say anything,

Instead, she cleared her throat, blearily gazing up and trying to make heads or tails of what it was she saw before her – James was kneeling behind her, resting his hands behind her head and massaging ever so gently. Madison was beside her, and would have been in tears if it weren't for the fact that Sirius was around but... Wait – where was Sirius? Lily squinted her eyes, trying to make out a third figure – but it was no where to be seen. He was probably getting ice, she told herself – or that was what she hoped. Lily couldn't help but feel a little nervous; Sirius could have been out setting up some sort of ridiculous trap for her to walk in to... He was like that. Always goofing off. What a joke, that boy was...

"W-what happened?" She asked finally, once her head had stopped pounding a bit.

"Ah, Lily – really... I am so sorry – Sirius and I were coming back into the Room and you were going out of the room and..."

"And you went flying across the room wicked fast – I mean flying! Boom! Jaw and door. Man, Evans; it was spectacular! A classic!" Sirius had returned from fetching ice and had obviously been amused by Lily's 'performance.'

"Thanks." The red-headed girl snapped derisively, grabbing the ice from Sirius' hand and pressing it gently against her face. She flinched. The pain mixed with the intense cold was not at all soothing. Lily sighed, closing her eyes for a moment as one of the three Gryffindors gently brushed her hair away from her face.

"You know, Lily, I think there's something to be learned from all this." James piped up, an all-knowing smirk drifting across his face. "A real moral."

"Really now Potter, and what would it be?" Lily was hardly even listening to him.

"Now, I don't want to place any blame on you but really, now... If you hadn't been so difficult and insistent on leaving – and if you had just kissed me, we really could have avoided this situation in the first place..."

Lily's eyes snapped open and she found herself looking directly into James' big hazel eyes. "Oh! Is that the way you think of it? That I should have been a 'good little girl' and kissed you? Did you ever think that if you had just gotten out of the way, none of this would have happened?"

"Oh but that would've been no fun – you know you like fighting with me, Evans." James grinned, quite satisfied with her helplessness.

"Like? I li--"

"Enough!" Madison had gotten to her feet and was apparently annoyed at the pair's fighting. She crossed her arms over her chest and kicked Sirius in the foot. "Take him somewhere to cool down – I'm going to stay here with Lily." She glared at James, giving Sirius a quick peck on the head (and quickly being pulled back for a full on snog to which she giggled and kissed him back.) "Enough! Leave – the both of you. Come back later. At six. Or something – I don't know. Out!" Madison shooed them from the room before returning to Lily and looking at her apologetically.

"Madison, have I ever told you how much I hate that boy?" Lily pursed her lips together and tried to sit up again – this time she was more successful and scooted over a bit to lean against the frame of the bed. "He is arrogant, stuck-up, narcissistic..."

"Immature, and annoying. I know Lily. I'm sorry – I should have known something like this would have happened... I was going to talk to Tom about switching your room with someone else but... You see, I was busy."

"Busy shagging Sirius." Lily grunted in response.

"So James told you." Madi muttered flatly. "Well, if it means anything to you, he's a good lay... Possibly the best I've ever had – aside from that muggle man this summer... He was feisty!" She smiled kindly, ruffling Lily's red hair before she got a chance to respond. "I know. You don't really approve. I'm going to give you all the details later anyway, you know… But just listen; I would have talked to Tom if I hadn't gotten so... caught up."

"Well, that makes me feel so much better, Madison. Thanks oh-so-much." Lily's tone was blatantly sarcastic but her friend ignored it and grabbed a pillow from the bed to lean on.

"So what have you done this summer, my Lily? Have any fun? Kill Petunia yet?"

Lily wasn't quite ready to forgive Madison for A) slamming a door into her jaw and B) getting her stuck in a room with James Potter but... It was much too hard to ignore her welcoming tone and remorseful expression. "I slept a lot. Errr... Got a job at a muggle library. I was working with that boy – the muggle boy I used to go out with." She frowned. "I was almost tempted to try to date him again but... Well, he didn't remember anything from the last fiasco because of the memory charm the Ministry had to place on him so I decided to play it safe." Madison clicked her tongue disapprovingly, but Lily ignored her and continued talking. "Didn't kill Petunia yet – was tempted to this morning... I really wish she would have the sense to act civil towards me... I mean, really, we _are _sisters..." She sighed, rubbing her chin with the now half-melted ice. "How about you?"

"You know, the usual for me – got kicked out of the house for about a week before getting an owl that was ordering me to come back. Met some people, spent a lot of time in Diagon Alley. Eh. I don't really remember much. Spent most of it under a constant haze of alcohol." Madison grinned playfully, her dark eyes twinkling gleefully.

"What's the big deal about getting drunk?" Lily asked abruptly, remembering what James had said. "I mean... So, you act a little strange. What's fun in that?" She snapped impatiently, not quite believing that she was worrying about what that stupid Potter boy had told her.

"There's no real big deal it's just..." Madison shrugged her shoulders. "It's just that you feel a little bit free-er. You have no inhibitions. I like that feeling. Why? Oh – Lily... You don't want to have a go at the bottle, do you?" A wide smile flashed across the taller girl's face as she sat up a little straighter. "Because we can arrange for that, you know – it would be just fine..."

Lily looked at her friend for a moment, considering the offer. To say that she was a little curious about what it was like to be drunk would not be a lie. She had, of course, wondered about it... Sometimes Lily even wished she could be more like Madison – less worrying and more care-free. Madison's life was always full of drama and risk and fun and games... She was such an exciting person; always rash and emotion-driven… Sure, she wasn't perfect, but she sure was interesting! Whenever she was feeling particularly depressed, Lily would try to picture herself as a wild child – but it never worked. When it all came down to it, she was happy the way she was. After all, Lily was smart, beautiful, self-sufficient, confident, and had a full future ahead of her – what was there not to like about that? But still... she wondered... "Maybe; we'll have to talk about it – and if I said yes... IF... You'd have to watch me like a cat on a mouse. I swear... If you were to let anything happen to me..."

"FINALLY!" Madison clapped her hands cheerily, laughing madly. "I'm going to get my little Lilykins drunk! Awww this is so great – she's getting so grown up... Oh and she looks so cute!"

Lily cut her off. "I said if, Madi. Don't get your hopes up." She said sharply – but still, the redhead smiled... She was happy to be with Madison again; the girl was an adventure all her own. Ever since their second year, they had been close friends – even closer in the latest years. Lily really loved Madison. She admired the girl for her freedom and chance-taking-tactics... She gave Lily an insight into a completely different world. "So, tell me what's going on with Sirius Black and yourself – is it... Sirius-ly serious?" She smiled, giggling at the bad pun.

"Oh very funny Lily, really witty – I'm sure that no one has thought of that joke before." Madison rolled her eyes but smirked before plopping back down on her pillow. "You know, serious is the last thing I think we are. I suppose that when we go to Hogwarts, I'll be able to call on him for some favors but I can't see us going much farther then that... It's a pity, really. He's so cute. I could probably fall head-over-heels for him too, if I let myself. But you know his reputation – he doesn't settle down for long. But then again, neither do I..." For a fleeting moment, Lily thought she could see regret lingering in her best friend's eyes – but she couldn't be sure for it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "Ah well, you never know what's going to happen – maybe I'll go after a Slytherin this year..." Madison grinned wickedly, crossing her arms over her chest, a rebellious expression set on her face. "You wouldn't be bothered by that, would you?"

"Not at all Madi – though I'm sure that even if I was, it wouldn't make much of a difference." Lily sighed, shaking her head.

"Smart girl! How's your chin doing – it looks better... You'll have a bit of a bruise though... We can go into Diagon Alley though, tomorrow, and find some salve to make it go away faster."

"It's feeling much better – hurting less... I think the ice helped." Lily explained, feeling a little calmer than before. It was nice to just sit down and talk with someone – especially someone you hadn't seen for nearly two months. "I missed you Madi... I was worried about you – my little Madison Waite was out in the world without her Lily to look after her! Who knows what kind of trouble you could have gotten yourself into?"

"Awww, I missed you too, Lilykins – whenever I thought of you, stuck in that muggle house of yours, I would cry." She explained very solemnly. "Or, well, I would at least heave a good, long sigh." Madison smiled, slumping down next to her fellow Gryffindor. "So what do you say – these next few days, we room with these two boys and rough it out? I'll show you a good time, I promise. And I'll try to make sure that James doesn't get on your nerves too much. Really. I will." The dark-haired girl stuck out her lower lip in an attempt to look like a sad puppy... Instead, she ended up looking crazy. Lily laughed.

"Fine. I'll stay just... Wait – wasn't there a Hufflepuff girl sharing the room with you as well? Tom mentioned her..."

Suddenly, Madison's back went stiff and her eyes drifted to the ceiling, her face taking on an impeccably innocent look. "Oh... Her? She... uhh, left. Yeah. Two nights ago. Couldn't take the constant party. Or something." Lily shot her a sharp glare as if to tell Madison to stop lying. "Or, well, I think she was scared of us. I can't imagine why, though. We were only having a bit of fun... She was the quiet sort – anyway, she left the other day and it was so funny. She literally stormed out of the place, screaming at us that we were all completely raving mad. I think I might have kissed her. Come to think of it, Sirius might have kissed her too… Good times, Lily, good times – so she left. It's just the four of us unless Peter comes – Sirius mentioned the possibility but I wasn't really listening."

Lily scoffed at her. "The Hufflepuff left because she was scared of you... That's real reassuring." She grimaced and shook her head, secretly looking forward to find out what it was that had 'scared' the Hufflepuff so badly. Despite her bad temper and still-aching chin, Lily was growing steadily more interested in what it was to 'have a good time.' Maybe it was her hormones finally kicking in – or perhaps it was the fact that she was entering her final year at Hogwarts and her last chance to be an irresponsible kid was quickly diminishing. Whatever it was, there was a nagging feeling at the back of Lily's mind that suggested she take a chance tonight.

----------

"What the hell happened here!" Sirius stared at their room in disbelief when he returned, James standing directly behind him. "Where... Where did all my clothes go – and the books and the... The..." His jaw dropped open as he ran towards the bathroom. "And my toothpaste!"

"Don't worry, Black – it's all there... Just neat," Lily's crabby voice came from one of the closets. "I cleaned up for you lot – bloody slobs, I'm telling you... You really do not want to know half of the things I found lying around... This place was disgusting." The red-head emerged from the room, a bunch of James' t-shirts folded over her arm. She dropped them the instant she spotted the owner, scoffing irritably. "Boys – all of your clothing is in this closet." She motioned towards the smaller of the two doors. "And Madison – Madison..." Lily prodded her friend, who was asleep in a chair. "Our clothes are in this closet."

"Hey Si! Check this out – I found my wallet! Thanks Lil--"

"It's Lily."

"Yeah, whatever Lil. Thanks though, this is great!" James beamed, sorting through his money-bag and examining how many galleons he still had left.

Lily sighed; well, at least the room looked clean now. Since she had agreed to stay with Madison and the two boys, she would at least have a habitable place to stay – even if it was likely to get messy all over again.

"So," Madison yawned, stretching. "What's on the agenda tonight?" She grinned tiredly, though clearly wasn't about to let her exhaustion ruin the night-after-night fiesta she had been participating in up until now. "I have some reliable sources that tell me Miss Lily Evans, here, would like to try her hand at a good party at some point." Upon hearing this statement, Lily blushed but instead of protesting, simply busied herself with a stack of books.

"Well then..." James grinned wildly, looking at Lily. "It just so happens that Sirius and I picked up some fancy liquor – and what better a way to start than with a little buzz?" He mused, flouncing over to his red-headed roommate and standing directly behind her. "Does that sound like a good idea?" He inquired, taking a bottle of scotch out of a brown paper bag and swinging it in front of her face. Lily grabbed the bottle.

"Whatever." She snapped, whipping around and finding herself pressed up against her worst enemy. "Get away from me, would you?" Lily pushed him hard in the shoulder and James jerked back, shooting her a slightly sullen look.

"Easy Evans... I was just giving you the bottle." He blasted back, "Not like I was trying anything – or that I would want to with that awful bruise on your chin. It's most unbecoming."

Lily blushed for the second time, ignoring his comment about her bruise and turning towards the scotch again. She stared at it; eyes falling nervously on the amber-colored liquor. James was such a jerk. Lily could tell by the way that he looked at her that he thought she was going to chicken out – that she was going to be 'boring old Lily' and just sit in the corner and read... Ugh; it was moments like these that Lily felt a great amount of disdain towards her reputation. But she would show him – Lily would show all three of the Gryffindor students that she could walk on the wild side when she chose to... Glaring rebelliously at James, she picked up the container, unscrewed the top and tilted it quickly back into her mouth – almost instantly Lily felt a strong burning sensation fill her throat. It made her feel as if her throat was erupting in flames and her mouth boiling over. She swallowed as quickly as she could, coughed and slammed the bottle back down on the table. "What the hell is that!"

"That, my sweet Lily," Madison began hesitantly. "Was scotch. Good, isn't it?" She smiled picking up the bottle, herself, and taking a swig. She grinned when she swallowed it, letting out a gasp of relief. "That is some strong stuff, boys! What are you trying to do," She exclaimed, examining the proof, "Get us drunk in ten seconds flat? Naughty, naughty." Madi smirked and glided in the direction of Sirius, kissing him playfully on the cheek and sliding her hand around his waist.

"Well, that is more or less the point of drinking, isn't it?" He grinned, kissing her back and taking a second bottle from his own bag and taking a short sip. "We should go to that disco later – it's not too far a walk... Of course, it seems a lot farther when you can't walk straight... But it's totally worth it." He grinned, passing the bottle to James who took a large gulp of it before smirking at Lily.

"So, Evans, this is your first time drinking, is it?"

Lily didn't answer him. Instead, she grabbed the bottle again and took two consecutive gulps, completely and totally ignoring the intense suggestion of pain that was now resonating in her throat. Ugh. The stuff tasted terrible – like liquid fire! Lily flinched, but refrained from spitting it back out, taking a third and a fourth sip before her stomach had the opportunity to object.

James smirked, matching her ambitious gulps with a couple of his own. "What do you say we play a little drinking game?" He suggested, mischievously. "It's called 'The Question Game' – real creative title, eh? Anyway, it's quite easy. We sit in a circle on the floor and ask each other questions... Preferably personal questions to make it more interesting. But, of course, if you don't want to answer a particular question, you can down a shot of scotch and get a pass. You ask whoever the hell you want and whoever is asked gets to go next. Sound good?" He grinned, glancing at his three companions.

"I'm in." Madison piped up; Sirius nodded in agreement. They all looked at Lily who was staring pensively at the floor. She had a terrible feeling that James was doing this to get to know her better... or something crafty like that. After all, she was sure that he knew Sirius just as well as he knew himself – and as far as Lily could tell, he didn't care to know anything about Madison further than the fact that she was screwing his best friend. And what better a way to get under Lily's skin than to learn what made her tick? Well, Lily would play his stupid drinking game – but she would refuse to give him the pleasure of knowing anything about Lily past her first and last name!

"Fine." Lily muttered, frowning a little and leaning forward as to allow a curtain of dark-red hair to fall into her face.

"Excellent!" James pumped his fist triumphantly, "Lemme just get the glasses and we can begin." The scruffy Gryffindor boy almost skipped away, leaving behind the cuddling couple and scowling green-eyed girl.

"You know Lily," Madison began, prying herself away from Sirius' gaze. "If you begin to feel uncomfortable or anything just tell me – we'll stop. I mean, this is your first time drinking and all--"

Lily scoffed, cutting her friend off. "Don't be silly – I wouldn't want to spoil your fun." She muttered scathingly, allowing her still sensitized emotions to get the best of her words.

"Touchy, touchy." Madison responded blandly – but the comment didn't seem to affect her ego. She was used to Lily's ever-flaring temper.

"You know, Evans, you could be a little nicer to your friend here." Sirius murmured distastefully, affectionately rubbing his nose across the top of Madison's head – but despite his movements, he still held a scornful gaze in Lily's direction. It was no secret that Sirius was a little less-than-fond of Lily. But it was understandable – they were two incredibly different people with very diverse ideas on what constituted as right and wrong.

"Shut up Sirius." Both Gryffindor girls snapped at the same time – he was butting his nose into someplace it didn't belong. Sirius opened his mouth to respond, an irritated and confused expression on his face, but was quickly cut off when James walked back into the room.

"Everyone ready? Good. I vote I go first. Any disagreements? No. Good." James spoke in a loud and booming voice as he announced his presence. He slid himself onto the ground, dropping four shot glasses onto the floor and laughing merrily as the others joined. "This will be fun, don't you think?"

"If you think getting bitten by a dragon is fun, then I suppose so." Lily muttered sourly as she sat down and brought her knees to her chest. James ignored her comment.

"So, all ready?" James filled each glass carefully to the top and leaned back against the floor. "Well, in that case, I choose Lily as my first victim." He grinned, glancing decisively in her direction. She gave him a cynical look. "Go out with me?"

Ah, suddenly it was clear to her why James wanted to play the stupid game. There was no way she was going to answer any of his questions - she would rather get completely and totally wasted than have to play his silly game. Lily pursed her lips, and picked up the glass, tilting it rebelliously into her mouth. She smirked at him, brushing hair away from her face and pouting a little before speaking. "Potter: why do you insist on making a fool of yourself by asking me out?"

"Because someday you're going to say yes." James retorted confidently, filling her glass again. "Evans: why won't you go out with me?"

Lily drank again. "Potter: why are you such an arrogant git?"

"Because you're a know-it-all stiff. Why don't you at least kiss me – get a little taste of what you're missing?" He puckered his lips suggestively, leaning forward as Sirius sniggered.

"Ugh!" Lily gagged vehemently, grabbing the bottle and downing another mouthful. "Why don't you go kiss a flobberworm?" She snapped, jerking backwards – Lily found herself beginning to get dizzy... The alcohol was kicking in a little. She coughed.

"Now, that wouldn't be very fun – besides, I'd rather kiss you." James shifted his position, leaning in closer to Lily who paused, glaring at him angrily and leaning away – she couldn't believe what he was doing. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Lily grimaced, placing a hand absent mindedly over her stomach where slight signs of nausea were gathering. "So why don't you grant a poor boy his wish? You kiss me and I'll leave you alone for the next month."

Lily set a hateful glance in his direction and picked up the bottle for the second time, swallowing three full mouthfuls before dropping it and spitting at the ground near his feet. James quickly recoiled. "You are a self-centered, conceited, bigheaded, egotistical jerk." The red-head hissed strongly, clambering shakily to her feet. "A-and you never know when to shut up or stop or lay off... And... And you don't give anything for other people's feeling and you, James Potter, are a bad person. I would never even touch you if I didn't have to." At this point, Lily had forgotten entirely about the game and was concerned only about one thing: her honor.

James' face flushed a bit in embarrassment. His lips curled quickly from their usual smirk into a painful frown. He lurched forward, trying to ignore the strong taste of humiliation that still resided in his mind. "And you, Lily Evans – you are such a wonderful, perfect person too, you know!" He snapped at her, tone ripe with sarcasm. "You've never even bothered to give me so much as a chance – you judge people before they even get the opportunity to prove themselves good, bad, or otherwise. And you never have any fun! You spend your time reading and hiding behind your books and-"

"I protect myself from getting hurt by heartless prats like you! Is that a crime?" Lily cried, holding a hand over her heart as she spoke. "And I'll have you know that my-"

"That's ENOUGH." Madison, who had been hoping the stupid argument would solve itself, finally got to her feet, wondering not for the first time why _she_ always had to be the mediator. "For Merlin's sake. I've had enough of this nonsense. Either of you are going to shut the hell up right now or I'm going to hex you. Both." She panted, standing up and glaring in exasperation at the two as if they were mere children. "You're both talking codswallop. Lily; you're a wonderful person – I can testify to that. James – you're a wonderful person too – Sirius can testify to that, right?" She glared at Sirius who had made no attempt to stop the argument. He had been much too amused.

"What? Oh, yeah. James is a wonderful chap. Excellent..." He nodded distractedly, eyeing Lily with enjoyment. She had fallen over a chair and was currently sitting on the floor with her legs crossed, a bottle of scotch in her lap.

"Now Lily," Madison snapped, picking her friend up on her feet. "I'm sorry this had to happen – it was a big mistake from the very beginning."

"You've got that right."

"I thought I told you to shut up."

"Why don't you shut up and go shag your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Whatever."

"Shut up Lily." Madison hissed once again, hitting her harshly on the forehead. "I'm putting you to bed before you get any more annoying." She told Lily, hoisting her up and dragging her toward the bed. "I never want to see you drunk again. "

"Well you know what? I never want to be drunk again... So there." Lily flopped down on the bed, bringing her knees to her chest as she had before, setting an icy gaze in James' direction. James hadn't moved since Lily's fit – he was still standing, completely and totally still, looking very much as if he had been frozen. In truth, James was doing his very best to get his temper under control. He understood that this was Lily's first time getting drunk – she was obviously very small and didn't have a very high tolerance alcohol – he was deciding to do the bigger thing and not argue with the drunkard.

"Sirius, mate, I think I'm going to retire as well." James muttered frustratedly, turning his back on the scene and glancing at his friend. "I don't think I can take much more excitement today." He explained flatly, patting Sirius on the back. "I really wish Lily wasn't such a spoilsport." He whispered so only his friend could hear.

"I've been telling you for years, Prongs, the girl is hopeless. I don't understand why you like her so much..."

"Neither do I." He responded blandly as he made his was over to a cot and lay down, staring tiredly at the ceiling.

"Now Lily, Sirius and I are going out I want you to go to sleep - _and leave James alone_." Madison said firmly. "Merlin, listen to me, I sound like your mother. I swear, we've switched roles. What a disaster." She shook her head, pulling a blanket over Lily's still fully clothed-body. "I'll speak with you in the morning."

Lily pouted, pulling the blanket childishly over her head. She felt so angry – and couldn't even place why. The past few minutes had gone by in what seemed to be a flash. First she was drinking scotch while watching Sirius and Madison cuddle with each other and then she was arguing with Potter about... Something... Lily grimaced, hugging her head between her hands and biting her lip. She felt incredibly foolish. And stupid. She felt her face turn red and pulled her knees to her chest, quite thankful for the fact that no one – particularly James – could see her.

"See you later." Sirius' voice chimed as the door closed with a firm click.

Suddenly it was dark. The room was filled with silence and a heavy sense of tension. Lily heard James clear his throat and turn over in his bed. She flinched; wishing that she would could just disappear and go home. She wanted to see her parents again. She sniffled feebly, her fingers wrapping themselves around the locket that they had given her. The cold metal danced against her fingertips and Lily felt a little comforted... It was as if her grandmother had just joined her in bed to snuggle. Lily smiled, feeling a little calmer than before. It seemed that alcohol enjoyed messing with her – one moment, she would be in a panic, the next full of rage, and then... Well? Calm. Lily grimaced, beginning to regret allowing herself to drink. It had been a stupid decision – and a mistake... But then again, you were supposed to learn from your mistakes so perhaps this could be a good experience? Lily doubted it.

Turning over onto her back, the red-head stared at the ceiling, suddenly feeling another wave of emotion wash over her... She didn't recognize it – apprehension? Nervousness? It seemed to be settling in her stomach and...

Oh Merlin.

Suddenly Lily realize what it was and ran to the bathroom as fast as she could manage. It wasn't a wave of emotion – it was a wave of nausea


	3. Change Your Mind

Author's Note: Another chapter- yet again, I am reminded of the fact that I really hate the way I write. I mean. Ew. Everything is so contrived. I have a bad feeling that a lot of the stuff in the chapter is rushed - like I have the images all set up in the head, but they don't come out quite as vivid on paper. This is why I'm going to become a director; it's so much easier to represent thing in images that words :P. Anyway some mention of sex in this chapter. Nothing graphic. A lot of the stuff in the chapter spawns from real life experience. Like getting a bra thrown at me during a party when I walked in a couple. Yeah. That was a priceless moment. So! Enough of me giving away parts of the chapter - read away! And review too : )  
Disclaimer: I'm not even going to pretend that I'm creative enough to have written all this shit from my own imagination. Praise J.K.R.! Goddess of all things Harry Potter!

**Chapter 3 - "Change Your Mind" by The Killers  
**"_We're all the same and love is blind,  
__The sun is gone before it shines,  
__And I said; if the answer is no  
__Can I change your mind?"_

Lily clung to edge the toilet bowl, her knuckles white with urgency as they tightened around the lid. She knelt on the cold tile floor, back hunched over and hair damp with sweat. Lily felt absolutely miserable… Her head was spinning, her limbs were sore, she had just barely made it to the bathroom before throwing up… How humiliating. The Gryffindor girl hung her head, trembling a little bit as her stomach heaved again - was this a part of getting drunk! Why - _why -_ had she done this? Lily cursed herself, coughing feebly over the toilet as she struggled to hold herself up… What a disaster.

A gentle knock came from the door frame - Lily didn't even have to look up. She knew who it was. "Go away." She mumbled, just barely able to hold back her anger; but James didn't leave. In fact, she heard him take another step closer.

"You should probably drink some water." He offered softly; the tone was alien to Lily's ears - she had never heard James speak so gently. "It's easy to get dehydrated after drinking… Especially if you get sick."

She paused, much too weak to tell him to go away again. "I don't think I can stand to have anything in my stomach right now…" Lily grumbled and, as if in agreement, her stomach seemed to twist within her. Coughing, she launched herself forward and over the toilet once more… Eugh; _gross_.

James knelt beside her and pulled her hair away from her face, ignoring the small squeak of protest that emerged from her lips. "I know." He murmured. "But you should still try to drink the water; it'll help in the long run." He told her, getting down a hand towel and wiping away the sweat from her brow.

"Look, I don't need your help." Lily was being awfully ungrateful, but the last thing she wanted to be was in debt to James Potter. "I'll be fine." She hiccupped, flinching as the toilet seemed to spin beneath her - ugh… What a headache she had.

"I know you don't need my help." James responded. "But I'm going to give it anyway." He shrugged, brushing her hair away once more.

"You're being a prat, you know." Lily growled.

"I'm sure I am."

"Can't you just leave?"

James hesitated, seeming to consider this for a moment. "I don't think so… I'm quite comfortable." It was an obvious lie; Lily doubted that anyone could be comfortable on the bathroom floor. At least one thing reassured her; she doubted that James would try to kiss her now - not after throwing up. That would just be _disgusting_.

"Suit yourself." She said finally, closing her eyes for a moment and leaning back on her haunches. It seemed her stomach was settling down - for a moment, at least. Lily flushed the toilet, flinching at the sound - it hit her ears like a waterfall…

James watched her for a moment, remaining silent. She seemed especially vulnerable at the moment - still a little bit drunk, a lot a bit sick, probably still pissed off at him… He couldn't help but smirk; she had no choice but to put up with him right now… After all, James doubted she had the strength to slap him - or even to argue, for that matter. Was this his chance? He cleared his throat, running a hand through his already messy hair, leaning back as she did and nodding. "The first time I got drunk, I had a similar experience." He admitted.

"What, you got into a fight with your worst enemy and then spewed your guts?" Lily muttered, glaring at the floor - she was in no mood to hear any of Potter's stories.

"Ouch… I'm hurt; you think I'm your worst enemy?" He asked, tone miffed and expression clearly surprised. "I mean… I know you don' really _like_ me but… Worst enemy? Harsh." James muttered.

"Fine. Not worst enemy. You're not _threatening_ enough to be my worst enemy. You're just a pain in my neck." She conceded, tone unpleasant.

"You don't have to be so mean you know. There's no one else around - you don't have to impress anyone by being all strong and witty." James told her… Lily frowned; she didn't want him to be here. She felt sick, she felt miserable - she didn't want to get into another fight.

"Fine. Whatever. Just leave then, if you don't want to risk your poor ego being bruised." Lily's mood was steadily worsening… She just wanted to curl up and cry - this was just too much… Leaving home, then getting stuck with Potter and Black, and then getting drunk? She couldn't even remember why she had chosen to do it in the first place… Bug she wished she hadn't. Drinking was like breaching some terrible code of her morals. Lily had never supported underage drinking - the only reason she tolerated it was because she was such close friends with Madison and, well, it was more common to see her drunk than sober. Why had she allowed curiosity to get the better of her? She stole a glance at James, eyes flickering a little bit as she recalled their earlier conversation. Surely it wasn't to impress _him_. Maybe to prove something to herself - but never to impress James Potter.

"I'm not leaving." The Gryffindor boy responded flatly. "I don't want to wake up tomorrow to find you dead in a pile of your own vomit." James snapped bluntly. "I don't feel like dealing with a dead body."

"Oh thanks." Lily responded, closing her eyes and sinking a little bit lower against the wall. "Oh Merlin… Is a headache like this _normal_?" She whispered, hardly aware of the fact that James could hear her.

"Unfortunately, yes, it is. Water would really help…" He trailed off. "Even if you never trust me on anything ever again, you should trust me on this. I would know."

Lily rubbed her temples gently, a small chill running down her back. "Fine. If it'll make you happy, get me a glass of water." She continued to speak in a whisper - she almost sounded a little bit scared.

James shook his head and got to his feet, walking softly towards the sink and taking a cup down from the cupboard. He filled it with water, being careful to turn the water on gently as not to make too much noise. Returning to Lily's side, he handed her the glass and leaned against the wall beside her. She took the water and drank it slowly, wary of throwing up again. "Thanks."

"No problem."

A silence grew between the two of them; James sat with his eyes on Lily, who had long since finished her water and was sliding slowly down the wall. She was whispering something to herself and clutching the locket that she wore around her neck, there was a slightly pained expression on her face… She looked upset and unhappy - not that James could blame her for feeling that way but he wished there was something he could do or say to change it.

He sighed.

Lily heard him.

Her eyes snapped open and she glanced up, sitting up quickly and backing away a little before realizing just how stupid it had been for her to make such sudden movements. Moaning angrily, she sank back to the ground, curling up on her side and clutching her head. Lily didn't want to be here… She just wanted to go to sleep and forget about everything - she wanted this blasted headache to go away and, even more than that, she wanted James to go away… But she was too weak to say anything at this point. She was afraid if she opened her mouth, she might throw up again.

"You'll be okay Lily." James said quietly, reaching out and touching a lock of her hair. She didn't move. "You'll feel better tomorrow - probably not right away but… You'll be okay." She sniffed in response, holding her head even tighter than before. She wished that James would stop being so nice to her - she wished he would return to his normal arrogant self… Lily was actually feeling a little bit bad for the less-than-kind words she had previously spoken.

"Thanks." She managed to croak.

"No problem." He echoed the earlier response. "I think you should get to bed…" He murmured. "I don't know if you can walk but… Errr…" James backed up a bit, wanting to avoid a slap for his suggestion, "I can carry you if you'd like?"

Lily felt her heart beat quicken furiously at the suggestion - she didn't want to admit it, but Lily knew that she wasn't going to be able to walk. "There's no way I'm going to let you carry me, Potter." She snapped - but her tone quickly softened. "But… errr… do you think you could help me walk?" She asked meekly, feeling very much as if she had just lost every last bit of her remaining pride.

James smirked, glad that she couldn't see his face. "Yeah, that's fine." Even when drunk and sick, Lily still maintained as much dignity as she could manage. Sobering his expression, he got to his feet as she slowly sat up straight. Taking Lily's arm, he slung it over his shoulder and helped her up. James wrapped one arm around her waist, using the other to keep her arm around his shoulders. Since she was so much shorter than him, it was a little bit difficult… But they managed.

Lily's head spun the instant she got to her feet - she wasn't sure if she could manage a step, even with James' arm bracing her. She grimaced, feeling quite ashamed of herself for needing to rely on James to such a great extent. He took a step and she tried to follow - but her feet seemed to be a completely different entity from herself and they refused to go in the right direction. She stumbled, clinging to James to keep her balance… Lily whimpered, grabbing onto his shirt as he caught her. They stood for a moment, Lily too weak to even think about the situation she was in, and James much too concerned to consider how close he was to her. Without asking for her consent, James scooped her up into his arms, cradling her against his chest. "You can thank me later." He muttered, carrying her towards her bed.

Lily didn't say anything. Her fingers were still twisted in the cloth of his shirt, her head now resting against his shoulder. She had decided to give it up - the sooner she could get to bed, the sooner she could fall asleep and forget about all this…

James held her for a moment longer, shuddering a little bit as he felt the flutter of her breath against his neck. It felt, to him, right… Letting out an inaudible sigh, he decided not to push his luck. James rested her gently down on her bed and pulled the covers over her body. "Good night." He murmured. Lily heard him and nodded, burying her head into her pillow, already prepared to fall asleep… But James wasn't quite done. He took a step away, but then glanced back at the already dozing girl. Biting his lip, he decided to take one last chance - after all, James was never one to shy away from a challenge! And he couldn't let the night go to a total waste…

"Lily?" He sat at the edge of the bed and nudged her side, she stirred - that was sign enough that she was listening. "I just wanted to let you know…" He began, resting a hand on her side and stroking gently. "That I'll always be there for you if you need help. Or a friend. Or more than that if you should ever change your mind. I'm not going to give up on you. No matter how much you protest or argue or bitch… I'll be here. You're not going to get rid of me so easily." He grinned, seeing her figure stiffen - James was sure that she had heard him. Leaning down, he brushed his lips against the side of her head. "Good night."

----------

Lily hardly gave herself a chance to analyze James' words. As soon as he left, she fell into a deeply troubled sleep. She seemed to dream in broken stories - in one instant, she was looking up into a pair of hazel-brown eyes… But then, in the next, she was running with Madison who was… Crying? The instant Lily was able to focus on Madison's face, the dream-picture changed. Images of the night seemed to flash before her eyes - a tinge of humiliation crept into her mind as she watched herself yell at James… Lily couldn't remember what it was she had said to him but she only wished that she could take some of it back - especially after the way he had helped her when she got sick. Maybe she could make it up to him by treating him more pleasantly in the future - it was unlikely, but nonetheless Lily pledged to her dream-self that she would make the effort. James' figure faded into grays and she seemed to drift far away from her memories of the night. At the back of her mind, Lily could hear a faint moaning - it made her feel a little uncomfortable… She felt like squirming. But at the same time, she felt a small smirk of pleasure ripple over her lips as if the sound amused her - it grew louder. Her dream-self seemed to drift closer towards it until…

"Mmmm… _Sirius!_"

Lily jerked her eyes open as she realized what the sound had been and choked back a gag. Sirius and Madison had come back. She glanced at her clock - four in the morning. For once, Lily actually wanted to go back to sleep… She grabbed her pillow and pressed it against her ears, hugging tightly as she tried to drown out the sound. _Eugh_. This was disgusting. Lily didn't need to listen to her friend being _intimate_ with a boy. At least at Hogwarts, they had curtains around their beds - here? She stole a sidelong glance and coughed as she caught a glimpse of Sirius' hand traipsing down Madison's thigh. Thank Merlin they were still partially clothed… Lily shook her head and grabbed her pillow, stumbling tiredly from the room - she wasn't exactly sure where she was going, but there was no way that she would be staying there.

Approaching the door, she turned back, frustration mounting on her mind. "Would you two get your _own_ room?" She shouted - ducking when Madison's bra was hurled at her. "I mean for _Merlin's_ sake…" Lily muttered, opening the door and storming out - and nearly tripping over James in the process.

Right beside the door lay James Potter. He was curled up on his side, glasses askew on his face and blanket clutched tightly within his grip. His head lay on the hard wood floor and he was breathing heavily - but most obviously, he looked uncomfortable. Lily sighed, running a hand through her hair. He looked so peaceful - cute, even; like maybe he could be a good person after all… She shook her head and glanced at her pillow, then once more at James' head. Sighing, she knelt, carefully lifting his head and sliding the pillow beneath it - it was the least she could do for the way he had helped her last night.

Leaning against the door, Lily sat by James head and sighed. Merlin… It was so early - Lily was exhausted and she felt terrible. Her head was pounding; it was almost as if it had been split open by a hammer… And then glued back together. She groaned and hunched over, resting her head in her hands. This entire weekend was shaping up to be a big disaster… Luckily there wasn't much of it left - today, she would shop for her school supplies, tonight she would hopefully get a good night of sleep, and then in the morning be off to Hogwarts for her seventh year… Ugh… What a head rush.

Her eyes fluttering shut, Lily took a deep breath. Perhaps this wasn't so uncomfortable after all… And, once more, Lily drifted off to sleep.

----------

"Lily?" A softer voice beckoned her from her dreams. "… Lily?" Someone shook her shoulder. "Err… Lil? You should really wake up now…" Someone coughed uncomfortably and ran a hand across her face - Lily was slowly awakening… She mumbled something, just barely moving her lips, and then shook her head.

"Just a bit longer…"

"No, Lil; I think now would be a good time to get up." As she gained a more steady consciousness, the voice registered in her mind as being distinctly familiar… And male. She felt herself blush a little bit and she opened her eyes. Lily found herself in a distinctly different position than she had been in when she fell asleep - instead of being slumped against the door, she found herself leaning against, _almost hugging_, a now upright James. Her eyes widened and almost instantly Lily shot back.

"I'msorryIdon'tknowwhathappenedIjustfellasleepand--"

"That's alright but… Err… I think we should go back in the room." He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head nervously - Lily followed his gaze to the rather angry group of people standing across the hall… They had been blocking the way.

"Right then." She responded meekly as she got shakily to her feet - James took her elbow when she stumbled a little bit… She was too humiliated to protest in front of the group.

The pair entered room 28, hesitance marking their steps. Neither of them had a particular desire to see Madison or Sirius unclothed but their choices were limited… Glancing around, it seemed like the coast was clear - Lily strode over to the bed, raising her eyebrow when she discovered it to be empty (a complete and total _mess_… But empty nevertheless.) Odd. Running a hand through her hair, Lily stepped away and walked around to the other side of the bed, trying to find where the blankets had gotten to…

"Eeeeep!" A surprised squeak echoed about the room - Lily had found Madison and Sirius. Together they lay on the floor, entwined in blankets and each others' limbs. Sirius rested with his arms slung around Madison's waist, his chin sitting on the top of her head, and legs stretched out straight; Madison, on the other hand, lay with her lips pressed against Sirius' bare chest, legs bent and wrapped around those of her lover, and hands clutching hair at the nape of his neck. It looked more like they were dead than asleep… And considering the amount of alcohol they had most likely consumed during the night, Lily wouldn't have been surprised were it not for the gentle rise and fall of Madison's figure against Sirius' chest.

She shook her head and glanced at James as he walked over. He stood next to Lily and stared at the two sleeping teenagers. A cocky grin curled to his lips and he ran a hand through his hair, turning to talk to Lily - but she knew that look, that expression, that grin…

"_Don't even think about it_." She cut him off, taking several steps away from James' side.

"Think about what?" Asked James, dumbfounded.

"Don't even think about _hitting_ on me. You were going to say something stupid - don't. Don't push your luck, Potter." She told him miserably.

"I wasn't going to say anything _stupid_--"

"We obviously have two different definitions of stupid."

"Oh _lay off it_ Evans! Can't we even have a single civil conversation!"

Lily paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and reminding herself of her earlier promise - she was going to try to be nice to James… Even if it was just this once. "Alright. Fine. What were you going to say?"

"I…" James stopped and scratched his head, looking a little confused. "Err… I was…"

"Ha! I _knew_ it. You _were_ going to hit on me!"

"Alright. So what if I was? I'd only be joking." He said defensively, taking a step back.

"Oh…" Lily shook her head; it was too early for her to be arguing like this. "Well. Just… Just forget it. Okay? Forget it."

"Fine." He muttered.

"_Fine_." She muttered back. Lily walked back towards her bed, arms crossed firmly over her chest. James stormed off towards his own cot - Lily could distinctly hear him muttering something under his breath. She grimaced. So much for being nice… She sighed.

"Look. Potter." Lily turned, flinching a little as she heard her own voice. "I'm sorry for being so… Unpleasant." She said stiffly, arms still crossed over her chest. "And… And thank you for helping me last night - when I drank too much and got sick. Even though we had fought and all… It was very… _Noble_ of you." Lily looked at her feet, feeling a little ashamed of herself - she rarely ever apologized to anyone; especially not James Potter. "Yeah so… Thanks." She murmured.

When Lily looked up again, she found James was standing in front of her - on his face lay an unusual expression. She had expected him to appear triumphant - after all, she had never before admitted to being wrong; or at least, not in his presence. But instead James looked tender. His hair flopped endearingly into his eyes, which seemed to be smiling despite the solemn line in which his lips lay. He scuffed the bottom of his shoe against the floor for a moment, looking kind of nervous - but Lily had never seen James nervous so she wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Lily. You don't have to apologize - or thank me, for that matter." He said quietly, taking another step forward. Lily glanced up at him, suddenly aware that he was surprisingly close - close enough for her to see the way his nails left scratches across his skin as he rubbed his hand against his neck. "I practically asked for you to get angry at me last night - and for the record, I _do_ think you're a wonderful person… In fact, I've never met anyone like you." He grinned, stuffing his hand back in his pocket. "I just don't know what to do to make you see me in the same light." James admitted, his voice growing softer as he spoke so Lily could hardly hear him. His hazel eyes flickered around Lily's face, he seemed unable to meet her gaze. He quickly cleared his throat, changing the subject. "But… Err… I was glad that I could help you last night?"

James stood still for a moment, his eyes cast towards the ground. It seemed as if he were working something through his mind - like there was something he wanted to do… But he wasn't sure if he should. Finally, he sighed and began to turn away, running a hand through and messing up his hair. His shoulders slumped and head dropped a little.

Lily watched him. It took her a moment to catch her breath again once he had moved away. She wasn't sure why, but the encounter had left her quite shaken. She was probably just tired - emotionally and physically; anything was bound to shake her up a little bit at this point. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed a towel and a couple changes of clothes. Stepping away a little bit, Lily spoke. "I-uh-I think I'm going to take a shower before they get up."

"Mmk. I'm going back to sleep." James hardly gave her a second glance before flopping down onto the cot and pulling the covers over his head. Lily nodded and headed towards the bathroom which, at the moment, felt like her only escape.

----------

Lily had always considered herself to be pretty. It wasn't like she was cocky about it though, she was simply content with her appearance - she looked _different_ from all the other girls at school. Lily was different. But today, she was feeling a little less than confident. After turning on the water, Lily turned away from the bathtub and stared at herself in the mirror with a scrutinizing eye.

She was a mess.

Everything about her looked disheveled. Her normally glowing skin looked pale and sallow, dark circles framed emerald-green eyes and… Eugh; her hair was_ everywhere_. And it wasn't just a normal everywhere - when Lily's hair was everywhere, it was obvious. Every crimson strand pulsed with color, crimped with frizz and falling in no logical pattern. Lily sighed - then there was the bruise. She examined it in the mirror, admiring the deep color with distaste. She didn't look anything like her usual neat self… She even looked a little bit… Wild.

Suddenly Lily smiled at herself in the mirror, shaking her head so her hair scattered even farther around her face. From behind the curtain of red, Lily's green eyes seemed even more vivid than usual - and the sallow shade of her skin made her look as if she had been up for weeks without sleep… She looked like she could be Madison. The thought made Lily chuckle and shake her head - she couldn't even get drunk without freaking out; how could she be Madison?

Moving away, the slim teenager shed her clothes and stepped into the shower - it felt heavenly. Lily could feel all her worries slipping away. She didn't even have to think about it anymore; everything that had happened was now behind her. She wasn't going to let any of it bother her anymore. It was a new day, a clean slate - she smiled for the first time in hours, reaching for the shampoo.

As Lily washed her hair, James came to mind once more. He seemed to be in her thoughts a lot now - she just couldn't push away what had happened last night… It was all a blur but, when it all came down to it, he had helped her… And then there was… Lily bit her lip; she couldn't remember if it was a dream or if he had really said it but… She remembered him telling her about how he would always _be there_ for her. She watched the drain for a moment, eyeing the water as it swirled around the drain - _ugh_; why wasn't her memory more clear? Lily tugged at her hair; she wished she could remember exactly what he had said or… Or if it had even happened. She bit her lip, unsure of what to think. Ever since she had met James, she had hated him. He'd never given her any reason to think otherwise - he was always running around, playing pranks, making trouble, _hurting_ people… But what he had done last night didn't fit with that character at all. Someone who was as cruel as she pictured James to be didn't help when someone else was throwing up - not when they could have been sleeping or off partying… Lily grimaced and grabbed the conditioner. Maybe he wasn't as evil as she had made him out to be. But he was still annoying. And narcissistic and immature and… And he was still a prat!

It would take more than just one night to change Lily's mind.

Lost in thought, Lily hardly even noticed the soft creak of an opening door… But, as she reached for the soap, out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of light -- too much light for the dimly lit bathroom. She froze. There, in the doorway; _Sirius._

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Lily darted out of the shower and slammed the door, her face flushing bright red. Grabbing a towel, she wrapped it around her body and stormed out, spotting a very confused Sirius standing a couple of feet away, scratching his head.

"Lily! I didn't mean to - I mean I--"

"You didn't _mean_ to? What the hell does that mean? Haven't you ever heard of knocking!"

"Haven't you ever heard of a lock?"

"Why should I have to use a lock? Didn't you _hear_ the water running?"

"I just got up! I'm not listening to anything!"

Lily glared at him scathingly and grabbed a book from off the floor - without even thinking, she hurled it at his head. Fortunately, Sirius ducked just in time and it ended up hitting the wall behind him with a loud -THWAP-. He chuckled, turning around to face his assailant once more - he opened his mouth to speak again but Lily already had another book and this time she hit him squarely in the stomach.

"_Merlin_ Evans! It's not like this is a big deal or anything!"

"Maybe not to you!"

"_Would you two shut up!_" James and Madison chimed in at the same time, both having been woken up by the shouting match.

"Bloody hell; it sounds like the world it ending - what's the problem here?" Madison slowly climbed off the floor, grabbing an oversized t-shirt and pulling it on over her head.

"Jeez Evans; we stop fighting and you have a go with Sirius. Don't even stop to get dressed, do you?" James grinned.

"Stuff it, Potter. Your friend here walked in on me in the shower." Lily growled. James seemed to pale.

"Sirius!" Madison grabbed a pillow and launched herself towards the boy. "How-" She hit him over the head, "Dare-" Across the chest, "You-" Along the side, "Even-" On the shoulder, "_Try something like that_." Madison hit him again. But Sirius simply smirked; he was very unaffected by her attack - so unaffected that he seemed to pounce on Madison, drawing her close to his chest for a dramatically passionate kiss. The girl struggled for a moment, pressing her hands against his shoulders but quickly gave up, her arms wrapping themselves around his neck.

"You are a disgrace." Lily muttered angrily, holding the towel even more tightly to her body.

Madison untangled herself from Sirius' embrace, wiping her mouth a little. "Yeah. That's me." She grinned, padding over to give Lily a hug - Lily leapt away.

"Ewwwww get away from me! You have_ sex_ all over you. Take a shower and then give me a hug." She said, sticking her tongue out before turning back to Sirius. "You have some nerve, you know."

"I know." He grinned as James came up behind him to punch him lightly in the shoulder.

"You shouldn'tve done that you know. Not every one is like Madison." James told him sternly.

Sirius shook his head. "I would say I'm sorry but I can't say that I regret it." He explained smugly. "You're my best mate and all but I didn't understand why you liked Evans so much until now - let me tell you! She has got a rack on her that--"

"EUGH!" Lily threw her hands up in frustration and stomped back into the bathroom. It was hopeless. Useless. She hated boys. Hated. This was why she wasn't in a relationship - boys were always so immature and perverted and she always felt like she was being _judged_ on the way she looked and they were… Lily stopped, taking a slow breath. In… And… Out… She felt herself shaking with anger. There was nothing she could do about it though - other than let it go. Madison wasn't going to do anything about it - what _could _she do? And it was quite clear to Lily that Sirius wasn't going to apologize… Not that it would make her feel any better anyway.

Lily shook her head and got dressed. She hastily pulled on a pair of ripped denim shorts, pairing it with a flowery green tank top and a light jacket. Lily glanced at herself in the mirror, splashing her face with water after pulling her hair back into a sloppy ponytail. She sighed, looking at herself. She was Lily again; hair perfect, clothes carefully coordinated, and face free of any sign of makeup. She was herself again.

Hugging herself around the elbows, Lily took a breath before once more venturing out into the jungle known only as Room 28 of the Leaky Cauldron.


End file.
